I adopted a cat named Zeus about two weeks ago and he has made a wonderful transition into our home. Even the from the first day I brought him home he has been eating, drinking, and pooping well. Now, he hasn't pooped in two days, but he continues to eat almost all of his food.

I've never had a cat before, so I am still trying to learn everything I can about their behaviors and health. I know cats can have major constipation issues, how long before I should be worried? Is it normal for a cat go a couple days without a bm?

I should just note that he is not stressed out, he has been eating regularly, he drinks water (yeah!), and I keep his litterbox clean and in a quiet place. And since he is the only cat (or animal) in the house he doesn't have to share with anyone else.

It's different for each cat, but typically one poop a day is about average. Sometimes my guy will go every 2 days (he also eats a raw diet quite often, which creates less waste), but if it gets to be 3 or more, I start to get concerned. If Zeus is still eating and acting normally, I wouldn't be too worried yet. What does he eat? Perhaps giving him some wet food will help, since constipation is often due to dehydration, and dehydration is frequently the result of a dry food diet. This link has some good info on feline nutrition, if you're interested: www.catinfo.org

I feed Zeus 5/8 cup of dry food every day and at night he gets a little more than a tablespoon of wet food mixed with a dietary supplement called Lysine, which is supposed to hinder the replication of viruses in his system. This is the same diet he was on at the rescue I adopted him from two weeks ago, including the Lysine. I should mention that Zeus is a little overweight. He is currently about 17.5 pounds and should probably only be about 15 (he is a bigger framed cat.) The first week I got him I had the vet examine him and he received a clean bill of health. The vet recommended that I keep him on this diet for now since he is getting a lot more exercise and is not being free-fed anymore.

Since I have seen him drinking from his water bowl on many occasions, I would be very surprised to find that he is dehydrated. His behavior hasn't changed at all, so I guess I will just keep hoping to find a present for me in his litterbox for one more day before I call the vet or do something else to help him.

I should mention that Zeus is a little overweight. He is currently about 17.5 pounds and should probably only be about 15 (he is a bigger framed cat.) The first week I got him I had the vet examine him and he received a clean bill of health. The vet recommended that I keep him on this diet for now since he is getting a lot more exercise and is not being free-fed anymore.

What dry food is he eating? If he's overweight, it's even more important to get him off of the kibble and on to wet food only. It's actually dry food that causes many cats to become fat in the first place. Please please please read this link: http://www.catinfo.org/feline_obesity.htm (and just an adendum - most vets don't really know that much about feline nutrition, so I would take what they say with a grain of salt).

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Originally Posted by Kitty32

Since I have seen him drinking from his water bowl on many occasions, I would be very surprised to find that he is dehydrated. .

That's actually a sign that he could be dehydrated. Cats have a low thirst drive and by the time they feel like drinking, they're already dehydrated. They evolved in the desert, where they received all of their moisture requirements WITH the juicey live prey that they caught. This relativley recent trend of feeding cats dry nuggets of cereal has caused a huge increase in medical problems such as obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, dental disease, inflammatory bowel disease, allergies, and blocked urinary tracts. I can't recommend strongly enough that Zeus needs a diet change.

I just found a present for me in his litterbox! Yeah!! (Is it strange to be this excited about poop?)

Thank you both for your input about this situation. I have never been a mommy to anyone before so I guess I am a little nervous and jumpy about anything that could be wrong. Zeus didn't have the greatest start in life and I just want to make sure he is always happy and healthy.

I just found a present for me in his litterbox! Yeah!! (Is it strange to be this excited about poop?)

You would be amazed at just how exciting poop is around here! Glad that Zeus finally went. A few years ago, my now deceased cat, Egypt, hadn't gone for a couple of days, and for him that was very unusual. Thinking he was constipated and might need an enema, I made an appointment at the emergency clinic for that evening. Well he must have known what was in store for him because as soon as I got off the phone, he took a huuuuuuge poo, proudly leaving it unburied for me to admire. I had a good laugh with the receptionist about it when I called her back 2 minutes later to cancel.

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Originally Posted by Kitty32

Zeus didn't have the greatest start in life and I just want to make sure he is always happy and healthy.

Thanks for adopting the poor guy, and for being so concerned with his wellbeing. If only all pet-parents were so caring! Got any pics of him yet that you can share?